


You should know you're beautiful just the way you are

by cutebutpsyco



Series: Ironstrange Bingo 2019 Fills [18]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, IronStrange Bingo 2019, M/M, Not Steve Rogers bashing, Scars, Stephen Strange is a Gift, Tony and Steve still have problmes, but Tony is ignoring it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 10:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutebutpsyco/pseuds/cutebutpsyco
Summary: IRONSTRANGE BINGO. FILL: TOWER ||The Compound was a place where they spent a lot of time, all together, but it wasn’t Tony’s place, it would never be. And that was fine. It was Stephen the person who told him that he needed a place that was just his. Tony had no idea what was the other man’s power over him, but he knew for sure that he was right, time proved him that Strange was right.





	You should know you're beautiful just the way you are

**Author's Note:**

> This one had been prompted by blackburry on tumblr who asked me for a fic in which Tony and Stephen kiss each other's scars while they are hurting the most. I hope you will like it *w*
> 
> Tony and Steve still have a complex relationship but it's mostly because Tony doesn't want to face the fact that things won't go back as they were. I'm not a Steve Rogers's fan, but I hate the gratuitous hate that he gets, so not Steve bashing in this one. 
> 
> That said, nothing belongs to me. Title is from Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara. Not beta read.

It wasn’t something weird for Tony, especially when the nightmare or the pain in his chest became too unbearable, to suit up and fly to the Tower. He brought it back shortly after the defeat of Thanos, blaming himself for having sold it in the aftermath of the Civil War. That was his house, it would have always been, didn’t matter what. 

The Compound was a place where they spent a lot of time, all together, but it wasn’t Tony’s place, it would never be. And that was fine. It was Stephen the person who told him that he needed a place that was just his. Tony had no idea what was the other man’s power over him, but he knew for sure that he was right, time proved him that Strange was right. 

And while he would usually hate having his chest constricted while he was feeling the stinging, lingering pain of a shield slammed against his Arc Reactor, there was something comforting in knowing that it came from his own suit which he let retract a moment later, curling on his own legs and holding it and trying to gain back his breath. It was hard, doing it, even if he knew that the sensation of being smashed against the floor while the cold Siberian wind embraced him was something coming just from his mind and wasn’t real, not there, not in his penthouse in New York. 

He didn’t even realize that he was moving on his hand and knees, his left hand still clasped around the cold shape of the Arc Reactor in his chest trying to ground himself. It helped, most of the times, with the majority of his nightmare, because it was what saved Stark’s life, but not with this one. Because he had no idea how to fight against that nightmare. He thought he was fine, with Steve., even if they never spoke for real about what happened in Siberia. The super soldier tried to, but Tony always ignored him, flashing the man his PR smile and telling him that they were fine. Maybe they weren’t at all, though.

They weren’t if Tony still had nightmares about that day. Or maybe it was just because the scar from the shield smashing against the cold metal of his suit was particularly hurting at that moment. Tony couldn’t say which was the right hypothesis, but it wasn’t like he really cared about that. Not at that moment, at least. 

He reached the counter in the middle of the living room and used it to bring himself back to a standing position, his fingers lingering for a while over the sink tap before going to the elaborated glass of the closest whiskey bottle. He could fool himself that he didn’t need alcohol, while the sun was high and his body wasn’t hurting so much, while the nightmares weren’t following him everywhere he went, but during the night it was so much better and easier to indulge in all his past mistakes. 

He let the alcohol ran into his throat and the calming sensation of the whiskey burning in his stomach before he rose his t-shirt enough to show the scar under his pecs. It was almost invisible, in all the scar tissue all over his chest, but it wasn’t for Tony. He never told to the few people who noticed it that it was from some of the operations he had while removing the Arc Reactor the first time, but the truth was different. He just didn’t want for people to understand that Steve left a sign on his body. Tony didn’t know why. 

And then he saw familiar golden sparkles starting to form around the living area of the penthouse. It wasn’t the first time someone opened a portal there, but, for once, it didn’t freak Tony out. This wasn’t some cold blue portal opening on the depth of the open space, this was warm, and friendly, even if it brought back memories from Thanos. It was different. That was the portal that opened in the middle of New York bringing Peter back on Earth and Stephen. That portal was Stephen in every bit of it. 

The man walked out of it wearing just a pair of sweatpants that he used to sleep and the best bed hair that Tony had ever seen and walked closer to him, his multi-coloured eyes fixed Stark’s exposed chest. 

“Does it hurt?” Stephen asked, even if he already knew which the answer was. Tony wasn’t the sharing kind of man, but he was sure that his eyes were giving up enough of how he was feeling in that moment, so he just nodded, looking completely defeated. 

What he didn’t expect for, though, was to Strange stepping closer and let his shaking fingers trail over the scars on his chest. “I’m sorry,” Stephen said, his fingers topped over the paler of the scars, the one that was hurting Tony the most. The billionaire found himself asking if the Sorcerer knew exactly where to touch him. “I wish to be able to bring you pain away.”

Stark nodded, because it was the only thing he could do, asking what he did to deserve a person like Strange in his life. He was sure he didn’t. He was sure that some god in which he didn’t believe was paying him a favour that Tony didn’t deserve. And he was dead scared that Stephen would eventually walk away. He didn’t, yet. This wonderful man was still there, by his side, and now he was kneeling so that he could place his lips against the scarred skin on Tony’s chest. 

It was a soft kiss, barely a peak, but Tony’s eyes bathed in the view of the man’s dark hair shining in the soft blue light of his Arc Reactor, bringing out, even more, the sharp shape of his beautiful cheekbones. Tony wished Stephen was keeping his eyes opened because he knew which breathtaking hues those could take in the blue light of the reactor. And Tony couldn’t help himself but answer: “You’re already doing that.”

Stephen opened his eyes, looking straight at Tony’s and the genius couldn’t do anything but think that this was the best view he had ever had of his boyfriend. Stephen smiled softly, letting one of his arms to wrap Tony’s body just little bit higher than his ass and moved them to one of the sofas, having Tony lying on his back so that he could kiss him better. 

His fingers trailed again against the scar that Tony hated so much. “This is not from an operation.”

Tony shook his head, he knew it was pointless to lie, not when his boyfriend was a doctor. “I just, don’t want to speak about it, “ He explained, and he knew that Stephen was going to understand him, without pushing for having answers. “Can you please just kiss it better?”

Stephen placed another kiss against his skin without answering. There was no need to do it: the Sorcerer knew that Tony would eventually tell him, once he was ready to. “Are your lips hurting too?” 

Tony smiled at the tingling feeling of Stephen’s goatee against his now not so aching skin. He knew it wasn’t the kissing that stopped the pain but the simple act of not thinking about it, but it didn’t matter. It was Stephen, he was the person that always made him feel better.

“Especially my lips,” He answered, a moment later, smiling playfully when the sorcerer’s lips trailed up on his chest and neck, stopping against his mouth and stealing it in a passionate kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are the air I breathe and the reason why I write, so make ur girl happy.
> 
> **wanna say 'hi'? do you have a prompt for me?** find me on [tumblr](https://ironstrange-is-the-endgame.tumblr.com/).  
> find my entire ironstrange bingo card on [dreamwidth](https://myrcellabaratheon.dreamwidth.org/3827.html) and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/511160).


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